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1st Lt. Rex A. Eckles
5th Bombardment Group (5th BG), 23rd Bombardment Squadron (23rd BS)
B-17 Flying Fortress Pilot Missing In Action July 19, 1943

Background
Rex Albert Eckles was born to parents Berthal Halleck Eckles and Mattie (née Smith) Eckles in Porterville, California. During the 1930s, the family moved to Santa Barbara. Eckles attended Santa Barbara High School class of 1937 and was a member of the ROTC program and won a saber award for close order drills. Afterwards worked part time and enrolled at University of California at Davis (UC Davis) and studied agriculture. After running out of tuition money, he enrolled at Santa Barbara State College and continued his studies until his junior year.

Wartime History
On October 29, 1941 Eckles traveled to Los Angeles to enlist in the U.S. Army as an aviation cadet with serial number 19061990. He attended flight school and graduated 1942 with class 42-E in May earning his wings and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant with serial number O-725136. Before shipping out to the Pacific at San Francisco, he married Mary Jane Boggs, who also attended Santa Barbara State College. The two were married for only a few days before he was sent overseas to the South Pacific (SoPAC). Eckles was assigned to the 5th Bombardment Group (5th BG) "Bomber Barons", 23rd Bombardment Squadron (23rd BS) as a B-17 pilot and flew bombing missions in the Solomon Islands.

Mission History
On July 19, 1943 took off piloting B-17E "Tokyo Taxi" 41-9153 as one of nine B-17s on a night bombing mission against Kahili Airfield (Buin) on southern Bougainville. Over the target, this B-17 took the lead position, and was targeted by searchlights on the ground and shot down by a Japanese night fighter. Last seen by Captain Sabin at 2:30am 8-10 miles north of Kahili Airfield. Captain Anthony Dean Lucas aboard B-17E "Li'll Nell" 41-9222 observed this bomber shot down in flames. When this bomber failed to return it was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA).

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Diary of Captain Anthony Dean Lucas (piloting B-17E 41-9222):
"July 19, 1943: Nine ships of our squadron took off around midnight to bomb Kahili airfield. All my bombs hit on the target from 14,000 feet. While on the beginning of my bombing run I saw one of my best friends go down in flames [B-17E "Tokyo Taxi" 41-9153]. Shot down by Jap night fighters. He was Lt., soon to be Capt., Eckles, of Santa Barbara. We had been together for the past year in the 23rd. We were both [flight school class] 42E men. His was a real crew, with some swell men, co-pilot, Lt. Jones, a classmate of my co-pilot, Bomb. Lt. Knop, Nav. Lt. Fox, Enj., Sgt. Kelly, Ass. Enj., Sgt. Greene, Radio, Sgt. Davis, Hill and a couple of other men. I'm going to ask if I can take Rex's personal things home to his folks, and one day wife in Santa Barbara. During this same mission I was held in the search lights for six or seven minutes and I imagine the night fighters were getting pretty close."

After his death, the Army never returned his personal effects, so any diary or personal records are unavailable. His widow remarried Vernon Silva and both lived in California.

Memorials
Eckles and the the entire crew were officially declared dead on January 11, 1946. Eckles earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing.

On July 19, 2009, sixty-sixth anniversary of his loss, Rex's brother Howard Eckles got a call from Gwendolyn Waters. She informed him that her father, Anthony Dean Lucas had witnessed his B-17 being shot down, and her brother was named in honor of Rex. The two families met in 2009.

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References
World War II Army Enlistment Records - Rex A. Eckles
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Rex A. Eckles
FindAGrave - 1LT Rex Albert Eckles (photos, tablets of the missing photo)
Thanks to Howard Eckles (brother) and Gwendolyn Waters for additional information

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